3 Reasons Why "28 Days Later..." Works

Rating: Null/10 (18 July 2003)

Three reasons why "28 Days Later..." is an extremely effective horror film:
1. The grainy, pseudo-amateurish style in which the film is shot. It looks like a documentary (and brings back memories of "The Blair Witch Project") and the
scenes with Jim walking in a barren London are extraordinay because they feel eerily real (and we don't expect a film that looks this low-budget to feature this kind of amazing sequence). The style is also good in scenes where there is little or no light (i.e. the opening sequence, when Jim, Mark, and Selena spend the
night at Jim's parents' house).
2. Boyle deliberately makes his 'zombies' difficult to focus on. Like Shyamalan's "Signs", the creatures here are ominous and always slightly out of focus so we never quite know what we are truly looking at. The zombies are fast-moving,
just like the way Boyle films his action sequences; in the opening sequence and when Selena is forced to kill Mark, the camera moves so rapidly, it's hard for us to see what's going on. I assume that Boyle wants us to feel the terror that Jim is feeling, not knowing what is going on, everything happening so fast.
3. The movie is very well-written and acted. I know many have shunned the
final act, but I think it's the film's highpoint, in reference to the script. Like most great horror films, "28 Days Later..." questions the morals and ethics of mankind, and we see the problem facing the army base. How is mankind supposed to
continue living? But the men presented to us at the base are rough and vulgar, and while their thinking may be accurate, their actions prevent them from
helping mankind rebuild. This is a fine screenplay. Also, the movie's fine performances are easily overlooked. Cillian Murphy, as Jim, finds the perfect balance between hero and oblivious commoner, and his
supporting players are all very good.
"28 Days Later..." will hopefully break into the mainstream and become 2003's "The Blair Witch Project". Danny Boyle has made a great horror film.